"My thanks to the committee for the invitation to judge this breed at this level for the first time, an appointment I had been looking forward to for a couple of years and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the day with some quality exhibits on show here.

On the whole I felt the breed is in a good way with no temperament issues nor any signs of health problems either, there were only a couple with slightly weepy eyes and about four that were unsound on the day. I did move them a lot as for me they are a working breed and should be able to cover the ground with an easy stride without breaking down. Presentation in general was good but I do wish that the same amount of effort that goes into making the dog look good in coat would sometimes go into what’s underneath that as many could have benefitted with better body toning. I only found a few that looked good on top but were not so well groomed deep down particularly in featherings. I did find greater depth of quality in the bitches rather than the males today which bodes well for future breeding programs I feel.

Finally thanks to my very capable stewards that kept things running smoothly and efficiently leaving me to get on with the job in hand and to the exhibitors for their entries."